The production phase, or the shoot, is for many of the production personnel the time of most intense activity during the whole production process. Ironically, it's a time when, in many ways, the producer can take a step back and keep an overseeing eye on things rather than concentrating on the detail. Because it is a time of intense activity, it is also a time of intense spending, so budget is a major management concern. This will be examined in Chapter 22. The production phase itself is the culmination of the preparation that has preceded it, and is in the hands of all the specialists and their support crews who have been hired to carry it out. The producer's main role here is to make sure that the train of production stays on the tracks during this phase.

Monitor progress, deal with the problems

Oversight with limited hands-on

It might seem anomalous that the producer is least closely engaged with the stage of production that many regard as the most crucial stage of the process, but in fact the more hands-on they have to be at this stage the more it probably reflects flaws in pre-production. The purpose of the preparation for the shoot is to hire the people who are believed to be best able to provide for the needs of the production.